Anti-Semitic Vandalism Defaces Maimonides Statue in Córdoba, Spain

The bronze statue of Maimonides in Córdoba, Spain, was vandalized with a Nazi swastika spray-painted on its base, local media reported. The statue is located in Plaza de Tiberíades in the historic Jewish quarter, a popular tourist site. Authorities have not yet identified any suspects in the incident. The statue commemorates Maimonides, a prominent Jewish philosopher, rabbi, and physician born in Córdoba in 1138, whose influence spans centuries in Jewish thought, philosophy, and medicine. Created in 1964 by Spanish sculptor Amadeo Ruiz Olmos to mark 760 years since Maimonides' death, the statue was restored in 2009. The Jewish community in Barcelona condemned the act, stating that defacing the statue with a Nazi symbol is an attack on shared history, culture, and values of knowledge, freedom, and coexistence represented by Maimonides' legacy. They affirmed that hatred will never overcome culture.